This invention relates generally to the construction, operation and usage of a tool for removing packing particularly under those conditions where the packing is utilized for suppressing hot gasses under pressure, and therefore, as any such packing is removed, the workers are exposed to heat and frequent injury when the procedure is performed under manual conditions.
To expand upon the foregoing, in small power houses where electrical charge or heating requirements are generated or obtained through the use of a furnace for heating water to create steam, or the like, for operations of one or more generators, maintenance requires that the furnace be subjected to periodic cleaning, in order to sustain its efficient operations. To achieve such, and particularly where soot builds up along the inner walls for the furnace, during the water heating procedure, an auxillary mechanism generally defined as a blower formed of a lance tube and feed tube are mounted onto the furnace, extending laterally therefrom, and the lance tube is disposed for extending into the furnace, through its wall, and once interiorly thereof, air under significant pressures, such as in the range of 100 to 200 psi, are released within the furnace as a means for blowing air onto the furnace interior walls, to eliminate and remove soot from the same, which then is exhuasted from the furnace by means of a stack, or the like. But, as can be understood, such a lance tube moves longitudinally within and without the wall of the furnace, while the feed tube is generally maintained stationary, acting as a support upon which the first mentioned tube moves, while slightly rotating, as it shifts into or out of the furnace wall. In order to maintain air under these significant pressures within the tubes, and to prevent their leaking, a stuffing box is usually supported by a carriage, at the back end of the lance tube, and is rotated by means of a drive shaft, through an interconnecting chain drive, which rotates the stuffing box and the lance tube at some degree of turn, and as this occurs, the chain drive moves upon the drive shaft longitudinally, pulling the lance tube either forwardly and into the furnace, through its wall, or when reversed in operation retracting the same from the furnace. Thus, as can be understood, the high pressure gases or air being delivered through the feed tube, and to the lance tube, is sealed within these tubes by means of the packing maintained within the stuffing box, and which seals the back end of the of lance tube, about the feed tube, so as to prevent the escape of any air therefrom, or in the alternative, should the lance tube be arranged within the furnace, and receive hot gasses therefrom, to prevent the escape of any hot furnace gasses that pass to the stuffing box, through the arrangement of its packing thereat, which under normal circumstances, could easily burn any worker within the vicinity, should a leak occur.
On the other hand, it sometimes becomes necessary to repack the stuffing box between these two tubes, and heretofore this operation has been performed simply through the use of manually operated chisels, which are hammered into the packing so as to piecemeal remove it, which not only is a very time consuming procedure, but likewise, should any hot gasses be present from the furnace and in the tubes, and leak out around the packing, as it is being removed, worker injury frequently has and does occur. It is for this reason the current invention has been designed to provide a mechanical means for totally removing packing from within such a stuffing box, so as to provide sufficient distance between the worker, and these operating components, during this procedure, and minimize, if not totally eliminate, any worker exposure to harm, and likewise, significantly accelerate the removal of any such packing and repacking of like materials into the stuffing box for ready application of the soot blower.
It is therefore, the principal of the invention to provide a tool for removing packing from a stuffing box used in conjunction with hot pressurized air feeds, particularly to a furnace means.
Another object of this invention is to provide a tool that is rigidly held in place, sturdily through the use of fastening and locking means, but likewise, is formed of semi-cylindrical halves, and therefore can be readily removed after usage or replaced into position through a minimum of effort and time.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a tool for removing packing, which integrally incorporates a series of piercing means that can mechanically dig into the packing maintained within a stuffing box so as to automatically remove such packing therefrom prior to a repacking of a soot blower, particularly as used in conjunction with a furnace or heater.
These and other objects will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of this invention, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment in view of the drawings.